NFL Week 3 Preseason Breakdown (Saturday)

It's finally that time of year again! A few quick notes before we get started...

There 100% is an edge in NFL preseason DFS if you take the time to research and keep up on the late breaking inactives, these articles will be a guide to constructing your rosters and i will update them to the best of my ability. Remember to check back a half hour before lock to assure i haven't made a key update!

Lots of questions coming in about what you are looking for in players etc. Obviously volume is king here in preseason but you also need to know exactly how to judge the volume. One whole half of a guy playing with fourth stringers is not going to be as good as a guy playing a quarter with second stringers IN MOST CASES. It's really slate dependent and early on in the preseason the edge is incredible due to the amount of guys playing that the average fans have literally never heard of.

Scoring in Preseason DFS is WAY SOFTER than regular season. You are literally hunting for 2-3x from your players and it will be extremely low scoring.

With that being said let's get on with the show! Keep in mind the options listed below are NOT in order, I'm just highlighting the plays that I am on the most.

With tonight being the "dress rehearsal" for these teams the starters will be getting a decent amount of run. Don't get cute!

Quarterback:

Tyrod Taylor- Tyrod has looked pretty bad throughout the preseason so far but he should get a ton of run tonight. The Bills pretty much need to get the first team going and while Taylor isn't an elite play, he is in consideration for tournaments due to low ownership and playing time.

Jameis Winston- Winston is expected to play close to half against the Browns (check back for confirmation). The matchup is good, however Mike Evans looks doubtful to play. If Evans is out that slightly knocks down Winston for me.

Deshaun Watson- If we get word that Watson will start and play the first half he is in strong consideration. He has rushing upside and the already bad Saints secondary will be without Delvin Breaux.

Derek Carr- Carr played into the second quarter in week two throwing for 100 yards and two touchdowns (1 INT). He should play a bit more than he did last week with this being the dress rehearsal and it's a great spot vs a week Cowboys secondary.

Dak Prescott- Jason Garrett has been silent about paying time this week but I'm going to assume that the Dallas starters (minus Zeke) will play close to a half. Be sure to check back for a confirmation but if Dak is going to get a half or close he's in a great spot against the Raiders.

UPDATE: Nothing really has changed here. These are the top plays for me. Add in Trevor Semien as an option against GB.

Running Back:

Todd Gurley- Rams starters played almost a half last week so we should expect the same or a little more today. I'm pretty bullish on the Rams this season in comparison to a lot of people and expecting a bounce back year for Gurley. He ran for 40 yards on 12 carries (1 TD) last week and the Chargers defense has looked atrocious.

Lesean McCoy- McCoy played almost a quarter last week and I think he might play a little more than people think. Obviously, check back for confirmation but with a new coaching staff in Buffalo I don't think we can trust his historical snap counts in preseason week three. If we get news he will get 1-1.5 quarters he's one of the top TD projections on the slate.

James Conner- Last week Conner got literally all the work he could handle in his first preseason action and he didn't disappoint. It's hard not to be a fan of this guy and with Bell still not with the team I don't see any reason for him not to get extended run once again.

Mark Ingram- This is news contingent...if AP gets ruled out everyone will flock to Alvin Kamara. Ingram would/should get the run with the starters if AP is out and he will be low owned.

Jamaal Charles- Denver beat writers have said that Charles will basically be playing for his job tonight. He is expected to get heavy run to prove he is worth a roster spot and obviously has upside.

Tevin Coleman/Terron Ward- Freeman has been ruled out already leaving Coleman and Ward to soak up the first team reps. Based off last preseason I would expect a heavy dose of Coleman here and I think he actually might go under-owned as well.

UPDATE: Nothing really changes here, although Chargers starers expected to get close to a half so add in Melvin Gordon as an option.

Wide Receiver:

Adam Humphries-If Evans is out, Humphries becomes a pretty solid play. He obviously has a rapport with Jameis and he can be great on DK where it's full point PPR.

Martavis Bryant- He's nursing a hammy so be sure to check up on that but if he's in Marty is a great play. He needs reps with his suspension looming and he got some decent burn last week in his first game back. It will also help that he will have Ben throwing to him to start instead of Josh Dobbs.

Amari Cooper/Michael Crabtree- These are obviously the guys for Oakland and I don't hate playing them together on some teams. Both are options to stack on Carr teams.

Sammy Watkins- Preseason darling Cooper Kupp and Tavon Austin have both been ruled out for tonights game. This seems like a great opportunity to get the Rams new toy involved especially with those guys out.

Dez Bryant-He looked locked in with Dak last week and will need to get more reps with the Zeke suspension looming.

Demaryius Thomas-If Emmanuel Sanders is ruled out again Thomas is a good play after a disappointment last week. He has his real QB back and the Packers secondary is still a joke.

UPDATE: Sanders is in so that bumps down DT a bit, everything else stays pretty much the same.

Tight End:

Austin Seferian-Jenkins- Should still continue to get run since he's suspended to start the season. He has no floor, but if they somehow get to the red zone he should get at least one look.

Jason Witten-Not sure if he will play the whole time with the Dallas starters but the Saints linebacker situation is a mess and could easily get a TD on a drive or two.

Coby Fleener- GROSS! I know, he sucks. But, he played into the fourth quarter last game and you can't ask for much more than that in preseason.